The European Union does not have a passport per se. It is important to know that the European passport is linked to each EU member country. However, having a passport from any of the member states of the community entitles you to travel, reside and work in any of the other countries.
If you are not a member of the European Union it is necessary to start the citizenship process, a lengthy process, but one that you must go through if you want to get a passport that gives you the freedom to travel in any of the 28 countries that make up the European community.
Advantages of getting a European passport
Although the European Union is often seen as a space with lights and shadows, the truth is that foreign citizens see the old continent as a beneficial place in terms of rights and job opportunities. For this reason, there are many people who enter EU countries with the aim of getting a job and with it the European citizenship.
Among the advantages of getting a passport from a member country of the European Union are:
Free movement
Move freely. Being an EU citizen allows you to travel freely in any of the 28 countries of the European Union, entering and leaving without a visa.
Working and living abroad
Fancy a change of life and a new adventure in another country? With EU citizenship, you can work in any EU country without a work permit.
One currency
Most EU countries have a common currency: the Euro. Before its existence, every time you traveled abroad you had to exchange money.
Thanks to the use of a single currency, choosing a bank to work abroad has become easier and easier.
Driving in all countries
Your Spanish driving license is valid in any EU country. However, each country has its own rules of the road.
Study without limitations
If you are a European citizen, you have the right to study in any EU country.
European Citizenship.
To obtain European citizenship it is not necessary to be born in Europe. There are several ways to obtain it and with it the passport that gives you access to live and work in any of the countries that make up the EU.
The European Union was established in 1993 with the purpose of opening the borders in Europe to citizens born in any of the countries belonging to the community. It is important to note that each country has its own laws when it comes to granting citizenship, for example, if you have worked and lived legally for five uninterrupted years in any of the countries that are part of the European Union you can apply for a permanent residence permit that will later give you access to nationality.
Descendants
For many years, especially during the first half of the 20th century, many Europeans crossed the ocean and emigrated to countries in North, Central and South America, Canada and Australia. Many of them kept their citizenship even though they felt part of their new country, therefore, most of them inherited this citizenship to their descendants.
Today these descendants seek to cross the great distance that separates these continents in search of new adventures and opportunities. Therefore, many grandchildren or great-grandchildren of Europeans acquire the blood right to obtain a European passport. Each country has a particular law to grant the right of citizenship by ascendant, so it is advisable to check with the consulate.
Marriage
Marriage to a citizen of the European Union is an indirect way of acquiring nationality. It is a very guarded way as it is the most prone to fraud. However, we live in an increasingly cosmopolitan world and marriages between people from different countries or continents are no longer rare.
Residency
Granting citizenship through residence is the most common way. In this case, in Spain, a legal stay of 10 years is required to apply for citizenship. This period is reduced to two years in the case of nationals from Latin America, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and the Sephardim. Refugees, a very small group in Spain, may apply for nationality after a period of five years of residence.
The processes usually take a considerable time, as we have already said that each country has its own laws that can speed up or slow down the processes. It is best to look at each case individually. You can get more information through Foreign Affairs.
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